Highway Equipment & Supply Co. and the Pennsylvania College of Technology teamed up on February 12, 2020, to introduce Weatherly Area School District eighth through twelfth graders to the heavy construction equipment (HCE) technician career field at Weatherly’s first Career Fair. The event was held at the Weatherly High School, Weatherly, PA, whose mascot is the Wrecker.
Highway’s HR, marketing, & communications manager partnered with Justin Beishline, Assistant Dean of Transportation & Natural Resources Technologies, Penn College, to host an interactive career fair booth. The Highway-Penn College booth included several heavy equipment components, including a turbocharger for students to handle, and a voltmeter, which Justin demonstrated.
For Highway’s HR, marketing, & communications manager, the most satisfying moment came toward the end of the day as she was talking with three female students. “I called three female students over who seemed like they were going to dismiss our booth for not being relevant to them," she said. "I asked them what they wanted to do after high school. Two didn’t know; one said she was considering cosmetology. I then asked her if she was considering cosmetology because she liked working with her hands, and all three said that they liked working with their hands. I asked them if they liked doing puzzles and solving mysteries – and they did. I told them that, on a very simplified level, is what HCE technicians do, and that there wasn’t any reason why they as females couldn’t consider it as a career option. We probably talked for at least 15 minutes about HCE as a viable career option for them. After they were done talking with me and Justin, all three walked away with information about the career field and the Penn College program information, excitedly chatting with each other about how they needed to seriously consider it. That excited me because I want to see more females get into this industry.”
If you know someone who’d like more information on the HCE technician career field, would like a branch tour, or the opportunity to shadow an HCE technician, contact Highway’s HR, marketing, & communications manager.
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